Original Post

Sims 3 has stopped working

I've just upgraded from a low performing Win10 DELL laptop to a Win10 Acer gaming laptop, and when I first installed Sims 3 it gave me one error about my graphics card, one error as per the png file attached, and then it let me open it and play as normal. Day 2 with the laptop and all I get is the error. I open the launcher, hit play and it errors and closes out. I've tested basically every fix google could offer, including uninstalling and reinstalling Sims 3, uninstalling and reinstalling Origin, deleted/moved the standard files that most searches told me to, updated my graphicscards and graphicsrules to make deviceconfig say found 1 matched 1, disabled my firewall, tried to run it in compatibility mode and as administrator and restarted my computer many many times. I've tried bypassing the launcher but it always just opens the launcher instead of the game. I don't use mods but I do have most of the expansions although even with none of then ticked it still won't launch. I also have roaring heights, hidden springs and monte vista however while I can download them I can't install them, it gives the same error but without kicking me out of the launcher.

Any ideas on how to make it run would be appreciated because the only difference between day 1 and day 2 of the new laptop was that it was shut down in between, I added/changed nothing else.

Re: Sims 3 has stopped working

@bonesmaree A few things in the dxdiag jump out at me, but I'll start with what could be the most serious. Your error reports list "d3d11.dll_unloaded" as the cause of the TS3 crashes, and this can indicate a missing or corrupt DirectX file. Here's how to scan for missing files and replace them:

Inside the window that appears, copy "sfc /scannow" without quotes, and enter

Hopefully, this will address the issue, but please post whatever message you receive

One other thing you should check is whether your .NET framework 3.5, or some version close to it, is enabled. It isn't always by default, and perhaps an automatic update switched it off after you rebooted. TS3 needs this framework to run. To toggle the setting, hit the Windows key, type in "Windows Features, and select "Turn Windows features on and off." Find .NET framework 3.5 on the list and check the box, then restart your computer.

You should also install TS3 on your secondary drive, not your small SSD. You'll also need to direct Documents to D. With only a 120 GB C drive, you'll run out of space quickly; Windows 10 needs at least 35-40 GB free storage to function properly.

Finally, your processor's speed is under the 2.4 GHz recommended for running TS3 and all packs. It's also U-series, for ultra-low power, meaning it tries to use less power by slowing down rather than running at a consistent high frequency. These processors are not really meant for gaming, and I'm not sure how well this one is going to handle TS3. You may need to forego certain packs—the most demanding are Pets, Seasons, then Into the Future and Island Paradise—or keep your play sessions short.

Your graphics card, on the other hand, is quite powerful. If you do get the game up and running, you'll need to manually cap its frame rates, as TS3's fps limiter doesn't work. For an AMD card, the best tool is RivaTuner Statistics Server. Use TS3.exe to set up a profile for the game and set the fps limit to 60, the refresh rate of your monitor. Otherwise, your card could throw rates well into the hundreds and damage itself from overwork.

Keep in mind that RTSS needs to be running in order for it to work. You can set it to open at startup and minimize it when you want, but be careful not to close it entirely. You can check your in-game fps by bringing up the cheats console (crtl-shift-c) and entering "fps on" without quotes. A number will appear in the upper right corner of the screen. ("fps off" makes it go away.) If your fps isn't capped, there are other tools to try; this issue really does need to be addressed for the health of your computer.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.

Re: Sims 3 has stopped working

@bonesmaree Well, that's good news, at least. One other thing you can try is taking your computer completely offline before launching TS3. I don't know if you have any antivirus/firewall program installed, but many of them don't like Origin or the communication that takes place between a computer and EA servers. (Even the built-in Windows Defender might cause issues.) If you can play without an internet connection—put Origin in offline mode after signing in—you'll just need to set exceptions for Origin and TS3.

And if you still can't play, I'll ask someone who's better with Windows than I am to look over your dxdiag.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.